The Double S Ranch was beginning to stand on it’s own in 2006. We bought about 20 pregnant beef-master cows from David and his son to add to our herd. Things were running smoothly with Kevin and I was getting the itch to expand our property. The original land that we bought was landlocked. There was no land adjacent to our’s available in order expand the ranch.

The original land was 80 acres of cultivated hybrid grasses. It was great for cows, but at the time I was interested in finding some rough, rugged land to hunt and develop. I had noticed some property for sale on FM 919 in 2005 but at the time I wasn’t ready to buy (the property was about a 10 minute drive from our original property on Highway 4). However, it came back on the market in 2006 and I was ready. We purchased the 760 acres even though the land was in terrible shape. It was covered with cedar trees, mesquite trees and prickly pears. This property was so covered up that we couldn’t really see all of the actual land because it was hidden beneath the brush. I had been told that there was a seasonal creek that ran right through the middle of the property, but I really couldn't see it. There were hills and part of the property escalates up the side of a mountain, but I couldn't even get up there because the brush was so terrible. I was also told that there were a few tanks on the land but like everything else they were covered up as well. It was almost humorous because we would walk the property and end up lost or discover something that we had never seen before.

The land had also been overgrazed and abused from previous hunters. The fences were even in need of being repaired or replaced. The property had an old house and an old barn that were both in desperate need of renovation. I realized that this was going to take about five years to really get this property cleaned up. The land was not suitable for grazing cows, it would be at least two years until the land would be able to sustain a herd of cattle. We slowly began to clean up the old barn and house, as well as built a new barn to hold some of our equipment. We hired a man to come in with a bulldozer and help us clear out the brush (you can read more about that here). The process was slow, but we were able to restore the land. As the brush was cleared out it was as if the land began to reveal itself to us. We were right in taking a leap of faith with this purchase. The land has turned out to be something that we are proud of. Our endless labor has paid off and the cows surely enjoy it now!

In the middle of the brush control project.

One of the tanks that was revealed to us after we began the clear out the brush.

A picture from this past winter with the brush all cleared out.

The little house on the new property. We later found out that it does not have a foundation.